This is one where my interests in medicine and music overlap. First, some personal background—and why I almost canceled going to an opera I really wanted to see. I traveled to New York to attend the dress rehearsal of the opera Dead Man Walking at the Metropolitan Opera on Friday. The opera was written by Jake Heggie and premiered in 2000 at the San Francisco Opera. A couple of years later, Jake and I became acquainted and have maintained a warm friendship since. I’ve conducted some of his music (and even arranged some for chorus), and he has occasionally and graciously advised me on my own musical compositions, including a piece I wrote towards the end of medical school.
I was in The Boston Marathon bomber jury pool. For several years in the 80’s my office window faced the finish line. In the 70’s and partial 80’s I worked in the Copley area. I had lived on Beacon St, and I had lived on Commonwealth Ave on the route. I’d seen many finishes, and many marathons. The Boston Marathon is part of me.
If I were chosen for the jury, which I (rightly or wrongly) felt likely, and we found him guilty, we- not the judge - would have to sentence the bomber to death. No other choice, other than jury nullification.
I never before had to confront the real possibility of personally sending a person to death. Yet I wanted to be chosen for the jury. Several of my relatives are attorneys, one was a judge. I spoke to each and every one about capital punishment. They all had the same advice for me- “it’s your (my) decision”.
My decision- I couldn’t live with myself if I personally sent a convicted criminal to death. There’s a questionnaire we all had to fill out and answer in the Ed Brooke Courthouse on that cold, blustery, snowy, winter day inside a cold cavernous hall along with the defendant, his team of lawyers, the prosecuting team, and the judge. There were six different questions about our feelings regarding the death penalty, and six different angles the questions came from.
No. I’m not sending anyone to death.
Thank you Jeremy for being clear about your position and feelings on the matter.
Very moving prose. As I am sure you know, most democratic countries no longer execute people, and many of the countries that still do are rather unsavory regimes including Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
As a retired health care worker and opera buff I appreciated this piece. Something I especially miss from my clinical work life is hearing how others integrate their self-understanding as healers with larger policy issues. This one will keep me thinking for some time. Thank you!
Thanks for this post. I believe that an important goal of writing is to cause readers to think about something that they have avoided contemplating. You just did that for me.
Thanks for sharing this experience and your own personal opinion on the conflict with the practice of healing and medicine. I largely agree and know what it is like to have a personal experience related to a murder and the decisions which relate to the decision which requires the distinction between justice and humanity or more accurately requires both. My mother narrowly escaped a gun death by a man that did shoot and kill her friend. It is different when the experience happens to someone you love. But both my Mom only wanted to see this man put somewhere he could never harm her or anyone else while receiving mental healthcare. The victim, Mom's friend's family (at least some of them) understandably did not all agree with us. I remember seeing the movie of "Dead Man Walking" which was both very powerful and very frightening and long before the attempted murder of my Mom. Congratulations to your friend tackling a challenging topic. As a professional visual artist, I quote James Baldwin, "The precise role of the artist, then, is to illuminate that darkness, blaze roads through that vast forest, so that we will not, in all our doing, lose sight of its purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more human dwelling place."
Thank you for this insightful post. On a different subject: would you be willing to write a post on what your recommendation is for different age groups to take the newest covid vaccine? Thanks very much for your consideration.
I will chime in on this soon—but basically I think the main question is timing for higher risk folks, and whether the benefit is all that great for lower risk. Fortunately, the risks are low, so it’s really a matter of individual preference and goals.
I was in The Boston Marathon bomber jury pool. For several years in the 80’s my office window faced the finish line. In the 70’s and partial 80’s I worked in the Copley area. I had lived on Beacon St, and I had lived on Commonwealth Ave on the route. I’d seen many finishes, and many marathons. The Boston Marathon is part of me.
If I were chosen for the jury, which I (rightly or wrongly) felt likely, and we found him guilty, we- not the judge - would have to sentence the bomber to death. No other choice, other than jury nullification.
I never before had to confront the real possibility of personally sending a person to death. Yet I wanted to be chosen for the jury. Several of my relatives are attorneys, one was a judge. I spoke to each and every one about capital punishment. They all had the same advice for me- “it’s your (my) decision”.
My decision- I couldn’t live with myself if I personally sent a convicted criminal to death. There’s a questionnaire we all had to fill out and answer in the Ed Brooke Courthouse on that cold, blustery, snowy, winter day inside a cold cavernous hall along with the defendant, his team of lawyers, the prosecuting team, and the judge. There were six different questions about our feelings regarding the death penalty, and six different angles the questions came from.
No. I’m not sending anyone to death.
Thank you Jeremy for being clear about your position and feelings on the matter.
Wow, what an interesting and insightful addition to this conversation. Thank you for sharing this.
Very moving prose. As I am sure you know, most democratic countries no longer execute people, and many of the countries that still do are rather unsavory regimes including Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.
Good insight there. Not good company we are in on this one!
As a retired health care worker and opera buff I appreciated this piece. Something I especially miss from my clinical work life is hearing how others integrate their self-understanding as healers with larger policy issues. This one will keep me thinking for some time. Thank you!
Jake's piece has me thinking too.
One of your deepest and most insightful posts yet. Thank you so much.
Thank you for reading it. You might kind of be the ideal reader for it :)
Amen!
Thanks for this post. I believe that an important goal of writing is to cause readers to think about something that they have avoided contemplating. You just did that for me.
Thanks for sharing this experience and your own personal opinion on the conflict with the practice of healing and medicine. I largely agree and know what it is like to have a personal experience related to a murder and the decisions which relate to the decision which requires the distinction between justice and humanity or more accurately requires both. My mother narrowly escaped a gun death by a man that did shoot and kill her friend. It is different when the experience happens to someone you love. But both my Mom only wanted to see this man put somewhere he could never harm her or anyone else while receiving mental healthcare. The victim, Mom's friend's family (at least some of them) understandably did not all agree with us. I remember seeing the movie of "Dead Man Walking" which was both very powerful and very frightening and long before the attempted murder of my Mom. Congratulations to your friend tackling a challenging topic. As a professional visual artist, I quote James Baldwin, "The precise role of the artist, then, is to illuminate that darkness, blaze roads through that vast forest, so that we will not, in all our doing, lose sight of its purpose, which is, after all, to make the world a more human dwelling place."
Thank you for this insightful post. On a different subject: would you be willing to write a post on what your recommendation is for different age groups to take the newest covid vaccine? Thanks very much for your consideration.
I will chime in on this soon—but basically I think the main question is timing for higher risk folks, and whether the benefit is all that great for lower risk. Fortunately, the risks are low, so it’s really a matter of individual preference and goals.
The blog called Your Local Epidemiologist has excellent information about the COVID Booster.
Thx very much